


A Heart Of Gold

by shadowsandspirits



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Engagement, Fluff, Healer Scorpius, Living That Couple Life, Living Together, M/M, Magizoologist Albus, Marriage, Post Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23972056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsandspirits/pseuds/shadowsandspirits
Summary: Albus and Scorpius have moved in together after graduating from Hogwarts. They are finally settling down as they're starting up their new jobs and are enjoying each other's presence. Each other's presence as well as that of their children - the animals that Albus keeps bringing home.A peek in the life of Albus and Scorpius as they're enjoying their life together and are taking new steps into their relationship.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter & Lily Luna Potter, Albus Severus Potter & Lily Luna Potter, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 48
Kudos: 90





	1. A Heart of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s no secret that Albus Potter is incredibly fond of animals and magical creatures and he can’t help but feel responsible to help those in need. So Scorpius is not surprised when his boyfriend shows up on their doorstep with yet another cardboard box.

Scorpius is looking out the window, the sky has gone dark as rain is pouring down. He sighs as he rests his chin in his hand, leaning onto the backrest of the couch. Albus usually comes home at 7 but it’s 7:45 and there is still no sign of his boyfriend. A faint meow catches his attention and he looks down at Gracie who is nudging his other arm with her nose. 

‘Hey there, little one.’ 

She climbs on top of his legs as she reaches her nose up to nudge his face, begging him for some attention and affection. Gracie adores Albus and Albus adores Gracie - Scorpius likes to think it’s because they both tend to be moody sometimes but their need for love attention and affection, begging for it every time, is a constant. Albus found Gracie outside when she was little. He had just finished work when he saw he wandering right next to the road, he took her home with him because she was only a little kitten. He promised Scorpius he would only take her in to make sure she was healthy and cared for, until she was big enough to go to a shelter to be adopted by someone else. Naturally, Scorpius didn’t believe a single word when Albus said this. He loves animals too much and gets attached to them in the smallest span of time. So it didn’t come as a surprise when he begged Scorpius to please keep Gracie. 

This is what happens with every animal Albus comes home with. It’s how they got Gracie, the stray kitten but it wasn’t just her. Charlie and Max were a mass of legs and fur as they lay together in Charlie’s bed. Albus found the two dogs tied to a tree at the side of the road. Two small puppies soaked to the bone. Albus had ordered Scorpius to stop the car, jumped out of it to get the two of them and took them home with him. A small snow owl was perched up the stick in her cage as she peacefully slept. They never send her out during a storm as Albus found her with two broken wings. He’s too scared she will hurt her wings again causing her to never being able to fly again. So they keep Hedwig, named after the owl Albus’ father had during his Hogwarts years, mostly inside during the nights and stormy days. A duckling was sleeping in a self made bed in the corner of the room, near the dogs. Charlie and Frank are always watching over little Daisy when Albus isn’t around. If he is she will follow him all around the house as if he’s her mother. 

Daisy’s head perches upright as the roaring of an engine comes closer. Headlights light up the room as a car pulls into the driveway. 

‘Look who’s home!’ Scorpius says and Gracie meows as she joins Scorpius in watching the car pull to a stop in the driveway. 

The motion light in front of their house turns on as Albus gets out of the car. He walks to the other side, pulling open the door of the passenger seat and Scorpius squints his eyes to see what he’s getting. The pouring rain making it harder to see. 

‘What is he getting, Gracie?’ Scorpius asks the cat, getting a soft meow in return. 

He watches Albus close the passenger door with his foot and in his hands is-

‘A box, of course,’ Scorpius jumps up from the couch, waking up Charlie and Max at once. The three animals quickly follow Scorpius to the front door, already knowing who’s going to be on the other side. Charlie wags his tail happily as Max circles around Scorpius’ feet excitedly. ‘Guys, come on. I’m trying to get to the door,’ Scorpius mumbles as he softly pushes Max away from in front of his feet - trying not to trip over them. 

Scorpius opens the door and a soaking wet Albus is standing on the doormat, a smile on his face as he holds the box tightly. Scorpius quickly moves out of the way to let Albus in, watching the trace of water he leaves behind on the floor as he walks into the dining room. Followed by little Daisy who had jumped out of her bed. 

‘Good evening to you too!’ Scorpius calls after him and he closes the door. 

Albus comes walking into the hallway again, nearly slipping because of his wet shoes. The sound of Daisy’s feet on the wooden floor following him closely. Albus’ smile has been replaced by a smirk as his brown eyes light up.

‘No!’ Scorpius holds his hand out, trying to keep Albus at a distance. ‘Don’t you dare, Albus Severus Potter. Don’t you-’

But he’s cut off by Albus charging toward him, wrapping his arms around Scorpius’ waist as he pulls him close. His wet hair tickling Scorpius’ nose and his wet coat soaking Scorpius’ sweater. 

Albus’ giggles echo through the hallway and he can’t help but smile at the sound. Brown eyes look up into his and just like every time he looks into those eyes, his breath gets taken away. He can stare into them for hours and never get enough of them. 

‘Good evening, my love,’ Albus whispers before softly pressing his lips to Scorpius’. 

For a moment time is standing still and it’s just the two of them standing in the hallway of their own home as they’re tangled up in a sweet, soft kiss. Just the two of them- until they’re interrupted by the animals demanding Albus’ attention. Charlie and Max let out soft barks as the latter jumps up against Albus. 

‘Hey there children,’ Albus’ voice gets much higher than Scorpius is used to and he can’t help but giggle at him. 

Albus squats down and is attacked by Charlie and Max who try to lick his face, welcoming him back home. 

‘I bet my kisses are nothing compared to those,’ Scorpius says as he looks down at his soaking wet sweater. ‘You might want to take that coat off and dry your hair. Maybe also explain what’s in that box that you just carried into the dining room. Though I can almost guess what it might be.’ 

Albus looks up at Scorpius as he’s laying on his back. Gracie is perched up on top of his stomach and the dogs are sprawled out onto the floor right next to him. All four of them are looking up at Scorpius and he can feel his heart melt at the image of it. 

‘Come on,’ Scorpius picks up Gracie who protests his actions with a whiny meow. ‘Don’t you dare give me that attitude.’ Scorpius holds her in his arms as she nudges his face with her nose as if to say she’s sorry.

Albus scrambles up from the floor and takes his coat off. Scorpius puts Gracie down and takes off to put on a dry sweater, grabbing a towel on his way back downstairs. His boyfriend is sitting down in one of the chairs in the dining room and Scorpius gently dries his hair for him. Soft meows come from the box as Scorpius presses a soft kiss to the crown of Albus’ head. 

He gets up from the chair and carefully opens the carton box. ‘I found these stray kittens on my way home from work.’ Scorpius sighs softly and Albus looks up at him, his eyes pleading for his boyfriend to please listen to him. ‘They’re too small to survive on their own, Scor. Especially without a mother to take care of them. Someone left them in this box to die. I couldn’t leave them behind.’

Scorpius walks over to Albus as he cups his cheek with his hand. ‘Of course you couldn’t,’ he whispers as he pecks Albus’ other cheek. ‘So what do we do?’ He wraps an arm around Albus’ waist as he looks down at the box.

Albus carefully lifts one of the kittens out of the box and Scorpius gasps at the sight of how tiny it is.

‘I think they’re about 2 weeks old, maybe younger,’ Albus mumbles. ‘I’ll get them warmed up first, kittens can’t control their own body temperature. Then I’ll feed them and do so every 3 hours. I did a quick stop to the grocery store, but I forgot the bag in the car.’

‘I’ll get it,’ Scorpius says.

‘Thank you,’ Albus says as he looks up at Scorpius again. ‘You’re the best.’

Scorpius presses a soft kiss to his lips before smirking at him. ‘I know that.’

Scorpius wakes and turns his head toward the alarm clock on his nightstand. 3am. He has been asleep for about 3 hours now even though it feels like he had only just fallen asleep. He reaches out to the other side of the bed, trying to find Albus. Wanting to bask in the warmth of his arms as he tries to fall asleep again. But the other side of the bed is cold and when Scorpius turns around, Albus isn’t there. 

He gets up from the bed, putting on his slippers before tiptoeing down the stairs. He can hear soft whispers coming from the living room and when he rounds the corner he can see Albus sitting on the couch. His legs are crossed as he feeds one of the kittens with a bottle. His hair is a mess and his glasses are perched up on his nose as he’s whispering encouraging words toward the small creature. Max and Charlie are laying on the floor in front of the couch, looking up at their owner, watching his every move. Little Daisy is perched up on his shoulder, eyes closed as she rests her head against Albus’ neck. 

Scorpius enters the room, trying not to startle the bunch. ‘Hey, how are the little ones doing?’ 

Gracie’s bed is on the couch next to Albus, the other three kittens quietly sleeping next to a heating pad that’s keeping them warm. Gracie is watching over them as she lays next to it. 

Albus looks up, dark circles painting the skin under his eyes but a beautiful smile on his face nonetheless. ‘They’re doing really well, aren’t you?’ he says to the kitten as he holds it up, softly petting its head. ‘I just finished feeding them all, I already set my alarm to feed them again in 3 hours. I’ll just clean up and get them settled in our room so I can keep an eye on them.’

Scorpius smiles at him. He softly picks up Daisy from Albus’ shoulder. Giving him the freedom to get up before putting the little duckling down in its bed.

‘Come on babies, off to bed,’ the raven haired boy whispers to the two dogs. They settle into their beds and Albus gives them a quick kiss. Following up by giving the little duckling one as its eyes follow Albus all the way back to the couch - Scorpius knows that if she’s given the chance she’ll follow him all the way up to the bedroom, but they managed to teach her to stay in her bed during the night. 

Albus gently picks up Gracie’s bed as the latter settles in the corner of the couch, purring contently because she usually doesn’t get to sleep on the couch. He follows Scorpius up the stairs and sets the bed down on the nightstand that he cleared earlier that night. He lets himself fall onto the bed, taking his glasses off as Scorpius pulls the covers over the two of them. Gesturing for Albus to come closer. He envelops the boy up in his arms and Albus lets out a content sigh. Nestling his nose into the crook of Scorpius’ neck, softly pressing a kiss to his skin. 

‘This is nice,’ he sighs and a giggle escapes Scorpius’ lips when his breath tickles the bare skin of his neck. ‘Thank you for always putting up with me taking all these creatures into the house. I know it can be pretty overwhelming to have them around, so thank you.’

‘You’re too good for this world, Albus Severus Potter. Your heart is one of gold,’ Scorpius whispers before pressing a kiss to Albus’ hair. ‘How crazily fortunate am I to be loved by you.’


	2. A Heavy Heart of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius is having bad nights and is working long hours. He’s due for some rest and a bit of quiet time. But living in a house with Albus Severus Potter and the many animals and magical creatures is anything but quiet. Albus can be a bit messy, leaving his shoes in the hallway and forgetting to hang his coat. The animals ask for constant attention, wanting to show Scorpius their love and affection.   
> But sometimes there’s only so much a human can take and sometimes it gets too much.

Scorpius walks into the hallway of his home and a wave of relief washes over him, a sigh leaving his lips as he closes the front door. He puts his bag on the shoe cabinet and hangs his coat on the coat rack. When he turns around a coat is lying on the floor next to a pair of shoes, telling him that Albus is home from work already. He rolls his eyes as he hangs up Albus' coat next to his and puts the shoes in the cabinet, hearing one of the dogs bark from the other room tells him they have heard his arrival. 

He rubs his eyes behind his glasses, sighing to himself, exhaustion washing over him. It has been a rough couple of days at work, lots of people came in with injuries, burying Scorpius in work. That and the rough nights he has been getting. Nights filled with hardly any sleep, tossing and turning and recurring nightmares. It did no good for Scorpius' mood. Normally he was very cheery and joyful - Albus usually tells him he's like sunshine on a rainy day. He brightens up the room when he comes in and he always knows how to make Albus' day that much better. 

He takes in a deep breath before opening up the door to the living room. 

'Albus, can you please-' he's cut off by a dog greeting him. Charlie jumps up at him, trying to lick his face, his tail wagging with excitement. Gracie runs in circles around his legs as she softly meows at him. He greets them briefly before gently pushing them aside, trying to make his way to the kitchen where Albus' voice is coming from. 

'Albus, can you please just hang your coat and put your shoes in the cabinet when you come home?' Scorpius walks into the kitchen and looks at Albus. The sleeves of his plaid shirt are rolled up as he's bathing the kittens he had brought home a few weeks ago. He looks up, his hair the usual mess and the little snow owl, Hedwig, contently sitting on top of it. 

'Hey babe,' Albus greets him. 'I'm sorry, the dogs-'

'It's fine,' Scorpius grumbles as he walks to the kitchen counter, cutting Albus off. 

Albus looks at Scorpius for a moment, biting on his lower lip as he's trying to figure him out before a soft meow catches his attention again. He grabs one of the towels and starts drying off the last kitten as it purrs contently. 

'How was work?' Albus asks softly, putting the kitten back in the basket with its siblings. 

'Stressful,' Scorpius mumbles as he rests his elbows on the counter, rubbing his temples. 'I just need some quiet time and some rest. I'll be okay.' He turns around, nearly tripping over something and when he looks down Max looks up at him. Tail wagging and his eyes begging for some pets, but Scorpius' attention is caught by a creature jumping onto his shoulder. He screams as he nearly trips over Max again, trying to get away from the thing that jumped at him. 

Albus quickly makes his way toward Scorpius, catching whatever jumped up at him - placing it on his own shoulder. 'I'm sorry, I was going to tell you straight away but you looked so stressed and I wanted to make sure you were okay but I found him-'

'Albus! Are you kidding me?' Scorpius voice is higher than it usually is, eyes big as he stares at the squirrel. 'Albus, did you- Did you- again?' He scrambles for the words as the other pets make their way into the kitchen - attracted by the commotion. 'This is- It's too much. Albus, you can not keep bringing in more and more of these animals and creatures into our home!' 

'Scor, he’ll be back into the wild in no time. It's just-'

'No, Albus!' Scorpius cuts him off again, frantically waving at the dogs, followed by the cats, owl and little duckling that has climbed on top of Albus' foot. 'It's not  _ just _ another animal. It's not  _ just _ another creature. It's too much, Albus. We both are working full time jobs, we don't have time to take care of all these creatures. I don't have the time to take care of all these creatures when you're not around or when you have to work over hours. It's too much. Have you ever considered that? Have you ever considered what that’s like for me? Do you even think when you bring another one back into our home?

Albus' body grows rigid, words lost on his lips, not knowing what to say as he looks at his boyfriend. Scorpius is wide-eyed when he looks back at him. The circles under his eyes painted dark onto his pale skin. He doesn't know what to say. Scorpius had always told him it's okay to bring in animals and creatures to take care of them when they need him most. He has no idea where this has come from and he has no idea how to respond to this. But before he can figure it out, Scorpius has turned around and he can hear him run up the stairs. The animals look up at him in confusion, almost as if to ask for an explanation from their dad - but he doesn't have one.

Scorpius shuts the door to their bedroom as he lets himself fall on top of the neatly made bed, not caring that he will mess it up. He lost his temper, he hates it when he loses his temper because it makes him think of the stories that his father had told him about his grandfather throughout the years. How he had problems controlling his temper around his son, how it would come out in bursts, scaring him off. All he can think of is Albus looking at him, confused and wide-eyed as he did not expect Scorpius to get annoyed at him. He has never lost his temper around Albus like this, he hates it when people have to see that side of him so he usually just suffers in silence - on his own. 

His work has been overwhelming lately and he knows it has been keeping him on edge, together with his sleeping schedule, but coming home and still having a busy and active surrounding - having so many creatures and animals around him that ask for his attention, has been overwhelming as well. He sighs, taking his glasses off and putting them on the bedside table. Scorpius puts his hands in front of his face as he takes in a deep breath.

A soft knock on the door catches his attention and when the door opens he can hear Albus walking in. He doesn’t dare remove his hands from in front of his face. Afraid to look at Albus, afraid to see fear or sadness in his eyes - fear or sadness that he has caused his boyfriend - the love of his life. Albus who deserves all the best in this world, all the best that he can't give him. He can hear footsteps coming closer and Albus sits down next to him. There’s a hand on his shoulder that gives him a gentle squeeze. 

‘I’m sorry.’ Scorpius’ voice is muffled by his hands when he speaks. 

A hand runs through his hair repeatedly, soft and gentle. ‘It’s okay,’ Albus whispers. ‘It’s okay, Scorpius.’

In a quick movement Scorpius removes his hands as he sits back up. Albus flinches at the sudden movement and Scorpius can’t help but cringe at the sight. ‘It’s not okay, Al. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I shouldn’t have put the blame for the way that I’m feeling on you. That’s not okay. I’m sorry if I scared you or if I made you sad, it’s not my intention. It’s never my intention and-’ His breathing has grown rapid while the words keep spilling from his mouth - before Albus interrupts him. 

The raven haired boy climbs on top of the bed, his feet beneath him as he puts his hands down on Scorpius’ knees, trying to catch his eyes before speaking. ‘Scorpius, listen to me very closely.’ 

Scorpius raises his head up to look at his boyfriend. There’s no fear or sadness inside of his eyes, there’s just that look of fierce love Albus has when looking at Scorpius. He has loved Scorpius in a way that no one has ever done and that fierce look of love in his eyes makes his heart grow every single time. 

‘It’s okay,’ Albus puts emphasizes every word, making sure Scorpius hears what he’s saying and knows that he is not saying this to make him feel better - he’s saying this because it’s the truth. ‘I know you didn’t have any bad intentions and I know work has been stressful and you have been making such long hours. I can feel you toss and turn at night, I can hear your silent cries when you’re having a nightmare. That must not help with the long and busy hours at work.’

Scorpius has no idea when he has started crying, but silent tears are rolling down his cheeks as Albus is talking. His eyes never leaving Scorpius’ and his one hand tightly wrapped around his and the other cupping his cheek - wiping away the tears with his thumb. 

‘I can’t imagine how hard it must be to still try and help everyone at the hospital as best as you can when you haven’t gotten the rest that you need. I don’t know what’s causing the bad nights and though you are like an open book to most people - including me - there’s still parts of that book that are hard to decipher, even for me. It’s like it’s a different language that I don’t quite understand. We both know that I’m not good with languages and translating-’ Scorpius can’t help but smile when thinking of the disaster Albus was with Ancient Runes. ‘-But I need you to talk to me, Scorpius.’ Albus’ voice is pleading to him as he says that, his own eyes tearing up at the sight of the sadness and exhaustion in his boyfriend’s face. ‘I need you to tell me what’s going on inside of that beautiful head of yours. I know your mind often has a habit of carrying you away, to places unknown, places that I can’t reach. But I need you to let me in, so I can hold your hand through those times. Because I am and always will be here for you. I just need you to help me help you.’ 

Scorpius looks at his hand that Albus is holding to his chest before looking back up into his brown eyes again. 

‘I think it’s just that I’m not really used to having such an active and busy surrounding. You have always had a big family. Your parents, your siblings, grandparents and let’s not forget to mention, all those cousins of yours-’ both of them chuckle lightly at the thought of the huge amount of cousin’s Albus has. ‘- I had my mother and father and that was it. I grew up in a huge house with just the two of them. I had no siblings, I had no other family that would come around from time to time and no pets. It’s just-’ Scorpius sighs as he pulls Albus’ hand toward him, into his lap - as he starts fiddling with his fingers. ‘It’s just different and sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming, especially with how loud my thoughts often get. I’m not used to it, to such a busy and active householding - though I love it. I really do love it and I love those sweet babies and I love seeing your beautiful face light up whenever they’re around. Whenever you’re taking care of them, or play with them - even just sitting on the couch with them. It makes me so happy seeing you happy. But it’s also very hard and I need some time to get used to that.’

‘I’m sorry, Scorpius. I never really thought of that. I’ve been used to so much noise and people at home that it never crossed my mind that this might be hard for you, considering your childhood. I’m really sorry,’ Albus whispers as he intertwines their hands. 

‘That’s okay,’ Scorpius says as he shrugs lightly. ‘I should have told you. I’m sorry that I didn’t earlier. Instead of just telling you, I let everything get bottled up inside of me and it all just came out.’

‘I’m glad we talked about it. How about we transform the room we now use as a storage room for all of your many books, our old clothing and the useless stuff we keep for no logical reason, into a room where you can relax? No animals and creatures allowed. Does that sound good?’ Albus smiles at him, a sweet and genuine smile that makes the butterflies inside of Scorpius’ stomach go crazy. He brushes his fingertips over Albus’ cheeks and lips, resting his thumb on his bottom lip. 

‘I love you so much,’ Scorpius whispers and before he knows it Albus leans forward, closing the distance in between them.

He kisses him. Soft at first, his lips brushing over Scorpius’ lips, like a butterfly’s wing. Almost like he is asking for his permission, if it’s okay for him to kiss him. For Scorpius there was almost nothing better than losing himself into Albus’ presence - into Albus’ touch. Gently he presses his lips against Albus’, giving him permission. Albus’ hands make way to Scorpius’ neck, playing with the back of his hair as Scorpius lifts his face up to Albus, intensifying the kiss as he slowly lays back. His cold hands on the warm skin of Albus’ waist, sending a shiver down his boyfriend’s spine. 

He can feel his breathing grow heavy as Albus’ fingertips softly brush from his jaw to his collarbones - tugging at the hem of his sweater. The sweater suddenly redundant as he felt like his entire body was set aflame. In a smooth movement Albus throws it to the floor, his hands brushing the skin of Scorpius’ arms, pressing kisses from his jaw to the soft skin of his neck - releasing a sigh from the blonde’s lips. As Albus reaches up to kiss his lips again a crash downstairs breaks the moment, startling both boys. 

‘Children,’ Albus grumbles as he reluctantly pulls away from Scorpius. ‘You can’t even leave them alone for just a minute.’

His eyes are resting on the grey ones as he sits back up. He grunts as he looks from the door back to Scorpius. Scorpius can’t help but blush under the gaze of his boyfriend and the urge to pull him back is nearly too great - almost too much for him to handle. But another crash downstairs makes Albus sigh as he presses a soft, quick kiss to his lips. ‘Can I get a raincheck?’ he asks as a grin spreads out onto his face. 

Scorpius can’t help but chuckle at Albus’ flushed face and the mess atop of his head that is his hair. He’s gorgeous and Scorpius can’t help but feel like the luckiest person in the world. He has learnt that relationships have their ups and downs but the magic is to be able to work through the both of them. Stand by each other when times get rough because they will get better when you listen to and care for each other. Scorpius will do anything to spend the rest of his life with Albus by his side because that’s what Scorpius wants most in this life.


	3. A Loyal Heart of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and James are used to Albus and his great love for animals and magical creatures. They have seen anything, from Albus taking home hurt little birds that he has found in the garden of the burrow to him trying to house a flesh eating slug in his room to him trying to smuggle various creatures inside of the castle. Nothing surprises them anymore.. or that’s what they think.

Lily Luna opens the door with the key she has gotten from Albus and Scorpius. James huffs as he crosses his arms in front of his chest. 

‘I still can’t believe that they have given you a key, but haven’t given me one,’ he mumbles and Lily Luna looks up at him, a knowing look on her face with her eyebrows raised. 

‘I can,’ she says, giving him a playful push. ‘It might have something to do with the fact you randomly kept dropping by to eat everything inside of their fridge, to nap on their couch. Let’s not mention how you walked in on them having a private moment because you didn’t remember to knock when entering, like mom has taught you.’

James makes a gagging noise before rubbing his eyes. ‘Lily, I’m trying to forget that! Don’t remind me of that ever again, please!’

She giggles as she opens the door, walking inside with James following closely behind. Lily Luna stops James from walking straight inside, gesturing for him to take his shoes off and hang his coat. Scorpius and Lily Luna always bond over the fact that both Potter brother don’t remember to take off their shoes and coat and put them away nicely. 

They can hear Albus’ voice coming from the living room. When the two Potter siblings walk into the room, Scorpius is sat in one in the high chairs, his legs swung over the armrest as he’s reading a book. He looks up, smiling up at them. 

‘Hey guys! You’re earlier than we expected,’ Scorpius says, as a smirk appears on his face, his eyes finding James’.

James rolls his eyes, sighing because he knows Scorpius is saying that because he’s usually always late when they meet up. Lily Luna laughs wholeheartedly at the two of them as she pokes James in the sides. 

‘It’s because I was on his tail the whole morning, making sure he would be ready in time.’ 

‘Lil might actually be worse than mom,’ James says indignantly. ‘I had no idea anyone could ever be worse than mom but-’ his voice is cut off as his eyes find Albus sitting on the floor. ‘What-’ 

‘Charlie has had neuter surgery so he has to wear a cone so he can’t reach the wound until it’s completely healed,’ Scorpius explains to the both of them as he closes his book. 

‘And.. Albus?’ James raises his eyebrows as he briefly looks at Scorpius before looking back at his little brother. 

‘He’s been like this all morning.’ 

Albus is sitting on the floor, next to Charlie, scratching his belly to calm him down. The cone is preventing Charlie from being able to lie down his head properly and his tongue is hanging out of there as he’s enjoying being pet. But the three of them are looking at Albus and the cone on  _ his _ head. 

‘Hey Al,’ Lily Luna says, finally catching the attention of their brother. 

He looks up, his hair is an absolute mess as it’s static from the plastic cone. His brown eyes light up and a bright smile appears on his face when he sees his siblings. 

‘Al doesn’t want Charlie to undergo this all alone. So he decided he’d wear a cone as well,’ Scorpius explains, trying to keep his laughter in. Though he finds it incredibly endearing to see how much Albus loves these animals and how far he will go to make them feel appreciated and comfortable. 

Though this was something even Scorpius hadn’t seen coming when he came downstairs this morning and found Albus seated at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of coffee. He had looked up at Scorpius with the same bright smile as is on his face right now, before accidentally spilling coffee inside of the cone — resulting in him asking Scorpius to clean it for him. 

‘He really is something, isn’t he?’ James mumbles fondly.

Albus scrambles up from the floor, making his way over to his siblings. ‘Hey guys. I hadn’t heard you coming in.’ 

‘Maybe that’s because of the cone on you head.’ James taps against the plastic before ruffling Albus’ hair as best as he can. ‘A cone that is for dogs.’ 

Albus wraps an arm around Lily Luna as he embraces her in an uncomfortable hug. ‘It’s nice to see you too, James.’ 

Scorpius walks over to Albus. ‘I’m going to head out now, I will see you in a few hours, okay?’

Albus nods and Scorpius presses a soft kiss to his lips, thanking the fact that he is taller than Albus so the cone isn’t a problem. Scorpius greets the other Potter siblings quickly with a hug before heading to see his father. Albus gestures for his siblings to follow him into the kitchen.

‘I still don’t understand why you don’t just let us floo into the house,’ James says as he follows Albus into the kitchen. ‘Also, please take off that thing, you look ridiculous little brother.’ 

Albus rolls his eyes as he takes the cone off his head, placing it on the kitchen counter as he looks at his big brother. ‘Remember that incident at home, when all of us still lived there and we were pretty young? I can not risk any of that in this house with all the kids in here.’ 

Albus pleaded with Scorpius to not let people use floo powder to floo into the house, except for his dad from time to time. Albus did not want to have another Ashwinder incident. When they still lived back home with their parents they once had an Ashwinder hiding in one of the dark corners of their home. Albus was very intrigued by it, knowing it is created by the remains of a magical fire that is allowed to burn unchecked, following the ashy trail that it had left. The creature only lives for an hour, so Albus had to be fast. He found the Ashwinder surrounded by glowing red eggs, giving off intense heat. 

It was that his mother had come to look for him, to tell him dinner was ready, that prevented the house from going up in flames. Albus told her about the creature and to their luck Ginny had her wand on her body - as Albus’ was back up in his room. She froze the eggs as quickly as possible before the eggs had the chance to ignite. 

Lily Luna follows her brothers after a while with Gracie in her arms, who is purring contently as she scratches her behind her ear. She sits down in one of the chairs at the dining room table as she looks up at her older brothers. Albus goes to the kitchen counter, pulling out three mugs to make a cup of coffee for the three of them. 

‘Lily, would you be able to sit the animals for a weekend? I have to go to Romania for my work. Charlie invited us over as well to check out the Dragon Sanctuary he works at, something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now. So we’re thinking of extending it by two days, leaving on Friday and arrive back on Monday, but the children will need someone to look after them.’ 

‘Sure,’ Lily smiles as she lifts Gracie up, showering her in kisses. ‘I’d love to. It’s been a while since we had a girl’s night, didn’t we?’ She asks Gracie, receiving a soft meow. 

‘Why can’t I watch the animals?’ James asks, his eyebrows raised. 

Albus crosses his arms in front of his chest as he leans against the counter as the coffee machine whirs. Hedwig flies into the room, perching up on Albus’ shoulder as she softly nudges his cheek. He strokes her head gently as he raises his eyebrows at his older brother. 

‘James, remember that time you gave Max and Charlie food that was meant for the cats? Remember that time that you left all your food on the kitchen counter and  _ left _ the kitchen and the animals ate all of it and we had to rush home to take them to the vet?’ 

He waves a dismissive hand as if by doing so the conversation will be whisked away, obviously getting why he doesn’t get to sit the animals anymore. 

‘Why did you ask us to drop by?’ James then asks, changing the subject. 

Albus takes in a deep breath as he looks at his siblings one by one. He can feel nerves settling in his stomach, a giddy kind of nervousness. One that a child would get when he gets to go to Honeydukes for the first time and their parent tells them they can choose something out of  _ all _ the candy in the store. A near impossible task Albus can tell from his own experience. 

A giddy kind of nervousness that makes a goofy smile appear on your face, one that hurts your cheeks, one that just won’t go away no matter how hard you try. Albus is happy, Albus might be the happiest he has been in a long time and it is all thanks to Scorpius. Thanks to the man he loves so incredibly much, the man he now gets to call so much more than just his boyfriend.

Albus holds his hand up for both his siblings to see, a beautiful ring reflecting the sunlight that enters the kitchen through the slightly open window. Lily gasps as she catches sight of the engagement ring, resulting in Gracie jumping down from her lap. She jumps up from her chair, knocking it over in the process, as she runs toward Albus. Startling Hedwig as well and he can fly away just in time before she jumps at Albus, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she lets out a few noises out of excitement. Her long red hair tickling Albus in his face as his laughter rings through the kitchen, delighted at his little sister’s reaction. 

‘I’m so happy for you,’ Lily Luna says as she presses a kiss to Albus’ cheek before cupping his face with her hands. Her eyes lighting up and a bright smile on her face, one identical to his mother’s. One he’ll hopefully see on her face as he tells her about their engagement. ‘I’m so, so happy for you Al.’ 

She takes a step back so Albus can look at James. James who hasn’t said anything ever since Albus had showed the ring. James who is looking at Albus, his face blank and his mouth slightly open. The giddy kind of nervousness slowly fading away, making way for a feeling of uncertainty caused by his brother’s silence. He can’t read his face as there’s nothing on there, nothing to give Albus a hint about what is going on inside of his brother’s head right now.

But then James rubs his face with his hand, his eyes seeming to shine, tears glistening in them. Before Albus can say anything more than his brother’s name he is engulfed into one of the tightest hugs he has ever received. James has to slightly bend down to be able to hug him properly, his arms tightly wrapped around his brother’s shoulder. His hair tickling Albus’ cheek as his brother has buried his face into Albus’ shoulder. 

‘My little brother,’ his voice is muffled from hiding his face into Albus’ sweater, followed by a soft sniff.

‘James, are you crying?’ Lily Luna’s voice is filled with surprise, her hand pressed to her chest. 

‘I’m not crying,’ James mumbles as he slowly lets go of Albus, his hands on his little brother’s shoulders as he looks at him. A lonely tear running down his cheek, resulting into a grin from both his siblings. ‘Alright, maybe I am a little. But it’s just because I’m happy- I’m really happy for you Albus. You deserve this, you deserve to be happy.’ He ruffles his hand through Albus’ hair. ‘My little brother is getting married,’ he whispers. ‘How is it that the two of you are growing up so incredibly fast? I still remember both of you running around in diapers. I remember us running through the garden playing chase or hide and seek. I remember both of you walking into the Great Hall, just two silly, little babies getting sorted into their house. I remember it all so well. But look at you two now. Merlin, I love the two of you so much.’

Lily Luna walks over to her brothers, wrapping her hand around James’ waist. He wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in and planting a kiss on the crown of her head. 

‘I want you two to be by my side when I get married,’ Albus says softly, looking at the hands he has been wringing together. 

Lily Luna reaches over to take Albus’ hand into hers and she squeezes it gently. ‘Of course we will be by your side. We will always be by your side, Albus. No matter what happens, we’re here.’

Albus looks at the both of them, an endless smile on his face. His siblings are standing in front of him, smiling at him, reflecting his happiness. The sight of the two of them makes Albus’ heart grow, the intense love for his siblings overwhelming him. He thought he was the happiest he has ever been when Scorpius asked him to marry him. But right now he really  _ is _ the happiest he has ever been. He’s going to marry the love of his life and he has both his siblings by his side.


	4. A Faithful Heart Of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a busy time of work, caring for magical creatures and animals, Scorpius and Albus managed to find the time to look for a new place. A new house that they can make their home. But Albus realises there’s much more that can be a home — and his home might just be the person standing next to him, holding his hand as they look up at their new place.

Scorpius and Albus are standing in front of the house — their new house. They had been discussing moving homes for a while but Albus had been very busy with work the last few months. The organisation that Rolf Scamander works for, that was founded and set up by his grandfather Newt Scamander, had asked for his help with setting up a new sanctuary in Romania. Newt Scamander was one of Albus’ biggest inspirations. He had read all of his books and Rolf Scamander had given him some of Newt’s notes to study during his last two years of Hogwarts. They asked him to lead meetings, discuss what kind of creatures will be held in the new sanctuary and interview people who will begin working there, setting up a good and strong team Magical Creature workers.

He got to visit Romania a few times, visiting the Dragon Sanctuary his uncle Charlie worked for as the two sanctuaries would be in connection with each other. It had giving him the opportunity to connect with his uncle Charlie more, which he absolutely loved. But it was a long job and it was a lot of work, forcing him to work more hours than he usually did. But now that the sanctuary was all set up and running, which Albus was very proud of, he had some time off to spend with Scorpius. So they finally had the time to look for a new home and here they were.

Albus looks down at their hands, intertwined. His eyes resting on his wedding ring, the sunlight reflecting in it, letting it shine brightly. He can’t help the smile spreading across his face. The kind of smile that’s so wide that it hurts your cheeks. The kind of smile that you can’t get rid off. No matter how hard you try, it will only come creeping back up again. Because Albus is happy. 

Albus Severus Potter is like a puzzle. A puzzle that no one seemed to be able to figure out — not even himself. A puzzle that was too complicated for people to want to try and figure out. A puzzle with many pieces, too many pieces, scaring people off. He often got called too complicated, too hard to figure out,  _ difficult _ .

There has always been an empty feeling, like a hole in his life, in his heart. There was something missing. A missing  _ piece _ of the puzzle that was his life, his heart, his mind. A missing piece that kept him from being whole, from  _ feeling  _ whole. That piece was Scorpius and when Scorpius came into his life, he was whole. He was complete. 

Scorpius’ presence is like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. Like the first warm summer night that’s welcomed by everyone with open arms. Scorpius came into Albus’ life like a ray of light. A ray of light that broke through the darkness surrounding Albus’ heart and mind. Albus has learned that darkness means the lack of light and with every passing day that he spend with Scorpius, that darkness seemed to slowly fade away. His light consuming the darkness that he had known for so long. The darkness is still there, waiting for the right moment to strike and Albus often felt it lurking in the corners of his mind. 

But Scorpius makes his life cheerful and bright. Scorpius makes his life complete, worthwhile. Showing Albus nothing but kindness, love and appreciation. Scorpius loves Albus for who he is, not afraid for the many puzzle pieces that is Albus’ life, heart and mind. His best friend is always up for a mystery and Albus was just that when they met. But he accepted him, he loved him with the many pieces that was Scorpius’ life, heart and mind. He loved him with everything he had. Scorpius showed him what happiness looked like and right now happiness was holding his husband’s hand as they look up at their new house — together. 

Scorpius squeezes his hand gently, pulling him back into the present. Albus remembers when his past used to be better than the present. He’d often long for the years that he could roam free in the garden of the Burrow, when he had nothing to worry around — especially during his years at Hogwarts. But now nothing was better than the present, not with Scorpius by his side. 

‘The view is great but are you ready to go inside?’ Scorpius asks softly.

‘I don’t know,’ Albus says teasingly as he turns to face Scorpius. ‘I’m not sure if the view can get any better than it is right now.’ 

Albus can see Scorpius’ face starting to flush and he looks away. After all these years Scorpius still gets that blush on his face when Albus compliments him — and it is incredibly endearing. Albus chuckles and he wraps his arm around Scorpius’ waist, pulling him close to him. He puts his hand on his cheek, gently turning his face back to himself.

‘Have I ever told you that you are absolutely adorable when you blush?’ Albus whispers as their eyes meet each other again. 

He rises on his tiptoes, matching Scorpius’ height, to press a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. Scorpius scrunches his nose, making his glasses slide up, and Albus can feel his heart grow at the sight of it. Scorpius reaches his head down, meeting Albus’ lips halfway, connecting them in a sweet kiss. One that makes his knees weak, his heart beat faster and he wonders if there will ever be something better than kissing his husband. _His_ _husband_. Albus can’t help the smile from spreading across his face, breaking the kiss, smiling against Scorpius’ lips. 

Soft barking catches their attention and both men look down. Charlie and Max had made their way back from playing on the grass field in front of the house, looking at their fathers expectantly. Albus let’s go of Scorpius, reluctantly, and he reaches inside of his pocket to grab the key to the house.

‘Are you excited to see the new house?’ Albus says to the dogs.

They’re wagging their tails enthusiastically as they follow the two men toward the house. Albus looks for the right key and opens the door. He gestures for the dogs to go in first, but is stopped by Scorpius when he wants to enter himself. In a quick movement, Albus is being swept off his feet. A surprised noise escapes his lips and before he realises it, Scorpius is holding him in his arms.

‘I’ve been training for this moment for the past couple of months,’ Scorpius jokes as Albus wraps his arms around his neck. ‘If we’re doing this, we’re doing this the right way.’ 

He steps inside of the house, a little wobbly on his legs, but he holds on tight to his husband — determined to not let him fall. Albus can’t help but giggle as he nuzzles his face in Scorpius’ neck.

‘You’re such a dork.’ His voice is muffled but Scorpius doesn’t have to see his face to know he’s smiling. ‘And I love you for it.’

‘This dork will have to put you back down, because he hasn’t actually been training for this and will probably lose all feeling in his arms for an entire week if he doesn’t do so right now.’

He puts Albus down, gently, before shaking his arms. Albus shakes his head as his laughter fills the hallway — echoing through the empty house. The dogs return from their rounds through the house, getting familiar with it before Albus and Scorpius join them. For the dogs it was the first time visiting their new home. Albus and Scorpius have seen the house before, but that was before it was theirs. Somehow it looks different now. 

They start in the kitchen, talking about the interior and where to place the stuff they own already. Lily Luna has found a newfound love for interior design and had begged Scorpius and Albus to let her in on working on their new house. After a day they already gave in. Just like their mom, his sister is very determined and insistent and Albus can never say no to either of them.

Albus stops in the living room to look at the wide window sill. There is enough space for them to put soft pillows in there so they can read a book while looking outside. 

‘Gracie would have loved this spot,’ Albus says, a sad smile on his face when thinking back of the beautiful cat. Albus adored her and she adores him just as much. Scorpius would always say they got along so well because they both love attention and affection. She sadly passed away shortly after their engagement last year and Albus still missed her every single day. The way she’d nudge his face with her nose to ask for cuddles, the way she’d curl up in his lap when he was reading for work and the way she’d wait in the window sill for him to come home.

Scorpius takes place next to Albus, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. ‘She definitely would have,’ he says softly, pressing a light kiss to Albus’ cheek. 

‘Let’s go upstairs,’ Albus whispers, trying to push the sad thoughts about Gracie away. 

He takes hold of Scorpius’ hand as he leads him upstairs. Taking another look at the bathroom and the master bedroom, taking halt in front of last room. He steps inside, as he lets go of Scorpius’ hand. He turns on his heels as he looks around the room. 

Scorpius wraps his arms around Albus’ waist, resting his chin on his husband’s shoulder as the both of them remain silent for a moment. Taking in the house, getting used to the thought that in a few weeks time they will be living here.

‘I think this room gives us enough space to expand the family a little,’ Scorpius says, breaking the silence. 

As if on cue Max and Charlie run into the room, chasing each other before noticing their fathers looking at them. They sit as they waggle their tails, hoping for some attention — maybe even some treats. 

‘I think you may be right,’ Albus says. ‘I’ve seen some really adorable kittens at the shelter-’

Scorpius cuts him off by turning his head toward him and pressing his lips to Albus’ for a brief second. Albus can’t help but laugh as he leans into Scorpius’ touch, closing his eyes as he basks in the warmth of his husbands arms. The arms in which he feels comfortable, in which he feels safe. This might be their new house, but for Albus home will always be inside of Scorpius’ arms. 


	5. A Fulfilled Heart of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus and Scorpius had always had a house full of animals and magical creatures, their children. But since a few years the house has gotten a bit more crowded, but they wouldn’t change a thing about that. They feel like they are the happiest they may have been in their whole life — like their lives are complete, their hearts whole, supported by two little Hearts of Gold. 
> 
> Thank you to user scorbusrights for helping me with the names! It’s very much appreciated.

Rumbling of thunder wakes Albus from his sleep. Scorpius nudges Albus with his foot, the cold of it making him flinch away. He groans as he turns around, his face toward Scorpius.

‘The children,’ Scorpius mumbles, sounding like he is still half asleep.

Another flash of lightning lights up the room, illuminating Scorpius’ face. Before the thunder sounds, making the windows shake in their frames. There’s barking and soft patters on the laminate in the hallway. A soft sigh escapes Albus’ lips as he rubs his eyes. Trying to get the sleep out of his eyes, cursing at himself for staying up too late again, reading on magical creatures for his next project at work. He looks at the alarm clock which tells him it’s only 3am, meaning he has been asleep for an hour. 

The door creaks and there’s a weight on the mattress as something makes its way up on the bed. It accidentally kicks him in the shin as it makes its way up the bed. Soft whispers and a whine sound in the silence in between the thunder and lighting. 

‘Daddy?’ 

Albus shuffles to the side of his bed, making way for two little bodies to find its way in between him and his husband on the other side of the bed. 

‘Daddy, I’m scared,’ a second voice says.

The faces of his children are illuminated by the lightning. A little girl and a little boy are sitting up on the mattress. Albus gives them an assuring smile as he sits up, patting his lap as an invitation. Astoria and Arthur crawl their way over to Albus, sitting down on either one of his legs. He wraps his arms around their shoulders, pulling them in close with his back against the headrest. 

‘I know the sound of thunder and lightning is very scary for you. Loud noises often are,’ he says as he presses a kiss to the girl’s cheek. ‘But we are safe inside and we are together.’ He brushes a hand through the boy’s hair. ‘Did you know that we can make the same noises that the thunder can? Do you want me to show you?’ 

Both children nod their heads in unison before Albus tells them to follow him downstairs. Max and Charlie run up to them, slower than they used to do due to their old age, but nonetheless with such intense joy — followed by the newly adopted pup Losie. Astoria named the little one after her favourite aunts, not being able to pick just one, she decided to create a new name by mixing the two together. Hedwig makes a round through the living room before descending on top of Arthur’s head. She used to do that to Albus but ever since she met the children, she and Arthur had become almost inseparable. From the window sill a pair of eyes follow the three Malfoy-Potters but when Astoria calls out to little Nox she comes running instantly, purring contentedly when she’s being swooped up into her arms. 

Albus tells the animals to go into another room for a bit and Astoria follows him with Losie in her arms, putting her down on the floor, before he closes the door. He walks into the kitchen and the children hold onto his leg tightly as he reaches up into one of the cupboards and another flash of lightning lights up the room.

‘Now thunder is just a sound, it’s not dangerous. Maybe we can scare it away by making an even louder noise than that. Are you up for that task?’ 

Both children nod their heads again in unison, not sure what their father is going to do, but their faces are filled with curiosity rather than the fear it contained a few moments ago. He grabs the lids of all the pans they have in their cupboard and gives the smallest ones to their children. He drops to his knees, coming on eye level with the little ones as he holds onto two lids himself. 

‘Okay,’ he says looking from Astoria to Arthur. ‘So your other dad is _not_ going to like this, but it’s okay because it’s three against one and we’ll win without a doubt.’ The children’s faces are now glowing with excitement as they look at their father with wide eyes. ‘So what we’re going to do is hit these lids together as loud as we can. Remember, we’re trying to scare away the thunder. Are you two bugs ready?’ 

Astoria is nodding her head heavily and Arthur looks at her briefly before following suit. Albus counts down from three and on one they start banging the lids together loudly, creating a deafening sound that makes Albus grateful to not have any direct neighbours. He’s sure it’s not a nice way to wake due to your neighbours smashing the lids of pots and pans together. 

An elated smile paints the faces of his children and Albus can’t help but smile along with them as he hits the lids together. His heart overflowing with the love he is feeling for his little Astoria and Arthur. He’s not sure he has ever felt such an intense and pure love for anyone ever in his entire life. Just looking at their faces, Albus knows that he’d do anything to give these two the life that they deserve, that he’d do anything to protect them, to keep them safe. 

After a few minutes of running around the house as they make the most noise they possibly can before Astoria and Arthur let themselves fall onto the couch. Out of breath as their laughter slowly fades away. Astoria lets out a deep sigh as she lets go of the lids.

‘I think we scared off the thunder, daddy,’ She whispers as her and Arthur listen intently to the silence. 

Albus puts down the lids on the coffee table as he takes place in between the two children, who immediately cuddle up to their father. ‘See, the thunder makes a lot of noise, but so can we. It’s nothing to be afraid off. I’m very proud of you two bugs,’ he says, a bright and wide smile on his face before he kisses both of them on the crown of their heads. 

Scorpius yawns, stretching his arms and legs out as he turns around — stretching his hand out to find Albus next to him, ready to ask him for some cuddles on one of the few days off that they get together. But Albus isn’t there and the other side of the bed is empty. He sits up straight, looking around the room, but no one’s there. In a quick movement he has thrown the blanket off of him and he slides his feet in his slippers. He shuffles through the hallway, finding the doors from the children’s bedrooms open and empty as well. 

‘Albus?’ he calls out, but there’s no reply. 

He walks downstairs, quietly, trying not to set off the animals. When he walks into the living room. Albus is sitting on the couch, his head resting on Arthur’s as he is cuddled up against Albus’ side meanwhile Astoria has laid her head down in his lap, his hand resting on her head from stroking her hair until she had fallen asleep. The dogs are asleep near their feet and Losie looks up as soon as Scorpius enters the room. She walks up to him, wagging her tail and he picks her up — softly stroking the top of her head as he looks at the three on the couch.

He feels like his heart might burst at the sight of the three of them sleeping together. The love of his life and the two children that have absolutely stolen his heart. He can’t help but stand there for a minute, smiling so wide that he’s afraid his face might break in two. He has no idea what he has done to deserve these three people in his life, but it must be something good. Albus would tell him it’s because of his golden heart and generous soul, he would say Scorpius is one of the kindest people he has ever met. His heart is as pure as that of a dog, he used to find it a weird comparison. 

Scorpius can’t help but chuckle when thinking back to the moment Albus said it the very first time. He had given Albus a funny look, pulling himself up on his elbow so he could look down on his boyfriend. Albus had explained to him it was a good comparison, defending it. Scorpius hadn’t understood the comparison but that was because he had never had a dog. While spending his life after Hogwarts with Albus, he has gotten to know the purity of a dog’s heart and soul. The loyalty and unconditional affection they possess is beautiful and heartwarming. To be compared to that, by the biggest animal and creatures lover he knows, is an honour. 

He looks at Losie in his arms, her eyes big as she looks back up at him. ‘Should we just let them sleep, Losie?’ he whispers softly, scratching her behind his ear. ‘How about I take you three to the park and we can let them sleep for a little while longer?’

Max and Charlie look up at the mention of the park and they wag their tails as they run up to Scorpius. He gestures to them to follow him and he’s suddenly incredibly grateful that Albus has thought the two older dogs not to bark when one of them comes down in the morning. Normally Albus walks the dogs on Sunday morning, but Scorpius hadn’t heard him get into bed until after midnight and was up for the children during the thunderstorm, so it’s the least Scorpius can do. 

When he gets down all dressed and freshened up, the dogs are waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Looking up at him with big expecting eyes, Losie looking at the living room door, waiting for Albus to join them to go outside.

‘Okay guys,’ he mumbles as he looks around, trying to find their leashes. ‘Where does Albus leave those now?’ 

Max walks over to one of the smaller closets, nudging it with her nose before looking back at Scorpius. He thanks her and opens the drawer, getting the leashes before realising he has no idea which one belongs to which dog. 

‘This is going to be a long walk,’ he mumbles to the dogs who are sitting side by side, looking up at him. 

* * *

Albus is standing in the kitchen, a mug of steaming coffee in his hand and the smell of fresh coffee beans filling the air. He yawns as he looks outside, into the garden. The ground is filled with leaves that had fallen down from the trees. Autumn is definitely Albus’ favourite season. He loves that the temperature has slightly dropped again, being able to dress into comfy sweaters again. Hiding in his too big jacket and scarf that Scorpius neatly wraps around his neck so he doesn’t get sick. The leaves falling from the trees, the smell of the rain. But most of all he loves that he can enjoy his warm coffee again before waking up and going outside to walk to dogs. 

He can hear the front door opening and closing. He takes a big sip, readying himself to be attacked by the dogs as soon as they will find him in the kitchen. He was surprised when he couldn’t find the dogs this and his husband when the children woke him this morning. Scorpius never took the dogs out for a walk, he was the one taking care of the children and their breakfast while Albus took the other children out for a walk to the park.

Soft patters on the floor tells him the dogs are making their way through the house looking for him. As soon as they burst into the kitchen, Albus can see the dirty paw prints they left behind. He can’t help but smile at the sight of the dogs, painted with dirt and mud. But when his husband comes into the kitchen — his pants, coat and blonde hair stained by mud — he can’t believe his eyes. With wide eyes and an open mouth he makes sure the dogs won’t jump up at him. Softly patting their heads while keeping his eyes on his husband, who has a slight frown on his forehead and his nose scrunched up at the smell of dirt all over himself. 

‘Hello love,’ Albus says as he walks over to Scorpius, keeping a slight distance. ‘Are you okay?’ He asks carefully, a sympathetic smile on his face. 

Scorpius squints his eyes at Albus. ‘I’m great, I’ve just been a little, you know-’ he gestures down at his outfit and up at his hair. ‘-dragged through the mud.’

‘What happened?’ Albus tries his best to keep his face straight, his hand covering his mouth to try and keep himself from bursting into laughter. 

‘They happened,’ Scorpius points at the dogs. 

The dogs are sitting in a neat row, looking up at Albus with an innocent look on their little faces. 

‘We were out on the field and it was wet and dirty from the rain last night. I wasn’t paying attention for a few seconds— just a few seconds,’ Scorpius emphasises each of the last four words. ‘Then they ran into the back of my legs. I don’t know which one did it. But I got knocked over, luckily there was a pool of mud there to catch me.’ 

Albus burst out into laughter, resulting in a dirty look from his husband. 

‘I can’t believe you’re laughing at me,’ Scorpius mumbles, rolling his eyes as a big sigh leaves his lips. ‘You’re my husband. You’re supposed to support me and take care of me.’

‘Oh don’t be so dramatic,’ Albus says as he closes the distance between them. Standing on his tiptoes to kiss the tip of Scorpius’ nose, one of the few places that is not covered in mud. 

Scorpius reaches his arms out, ready to take Albus into an embrace with a mischievous smile on his face. But Albus takes a few steps back, shaking his head wildly. 

‘I got just out of the shower. No way, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy-Potter.’

Scorpius sighs blissfully at the sound of Albus calling him by his full name. He can never get enough of hearing the ‘Potter’ at the end of it. He pouts at his husband, his arms still stretched out, begging Albus for affection.

‘How about you go upstairs and get cleaned up and I will make you some breakfast? Then you can get that hug you want so badly.’ 

Scorpius rolls his eyes again before turning on his heels, nearly slipping due to his wet shoes. Albus chuckles as his husband leaves the kitchen, his eyes now finding the dirty prints on the floor from the paws and Scorpius’ shoes — to the dogs, still sitting side by side while looking up at Albus. 

‘Alright, let’s get you children cleaned up now, shall we?’ 

* * *

Albus is using a rake to clean up the leaves that have fallen from the trees. There’s already a huge pile of leaves in the middle of the garden that he has cleaned up and behind it Astoria is using her little children’s rake to help her father with cleaning up. He smiles as she collects her five leaves and gets them to the huge pile of leaves. 

Astoria loves working in the garden, taking after her father and her grandmother Astoria who adore gardening as well. She taught Albus a thing or two in the garden whenever he’d come over to stay with Scorpius in the past. He’d teach her fun facts about the Magical Creatures and bugs that took home in her garden or around it. In her place Astoria taught him about the flowers and herbs she was growing in her garden. 

Now every time they go over to Scorpius’ parents, Albus, Astoria and Astoria Jr. can be found in the garden. Working together and teaching each other all kinds of things. Scorpius says Astoria Jr. might be taking after Albus whenever she goes to school, loving Herbology and Magical Creatures. 

Little Arthur loves sitting at the piano with Scorpius, learning how to play the keys and enjoying the lovely music that’s coming from the instrument when his father is playing for him. He is finally big enough to sit on the little stool, but still prefers to sit in his father’s lap when playing and learning. He’s struggling, but both of his fathers have no doubts that soon enough he will be able to play the keys very well. 

‘Good job bug!’ Albus says as Astoria drops the rake and runs up to him. 

He scoops her up in her arms and she wraps her little arms around his neck. He presses a kiss to her cheek before the both of them look down at the collected leaves. 

‘Daaaaaaddy!’ Arthur’s voice sounds from the door when Albus puts Astoria back down. 

He turns around and sees Scorpius and Arthur standing in the door opening. Scorpius is holding a steaming mug of something that can only be coffee. But-

‘Scor, the dogs! Watch out-’ but Albus is too late.

The dogs run past Scorpius and little Arthur, bolting out the door as soon as they catch sight of the big pile of leaves. Albus calls out their names, but it’s no use. He’s never been able to stop them from jumping into piles of leaves, their excitement too great for them to listen to him. Astoria and Arthur’s giggles fill the air as the dogs jump into the pile, disappearing in it. Albus looks from the pile of leaves back to Scorpius, who has an innocent smile on his face as he shrugs and holds up the mug with fresh coffee — as a small piece offering. 

‘I can’t believe-’ Albus’ voice is cut off when Charlie jumps up at him, knocking him over. Making him fall right into the pile of leaves behind him. 

Arthur and Astoria run over, their laughter loud as they stand next to their dad. He sighs as he sits back up, looking at his children.

‘What are you little bugs laughing at?’ he asks them indignantly, looking at them with raised eyebrows and mock offence on his face. 

Astoria is clutching her stomach as a tear falls down Arthur’s face. Albus grabs the both of them, wrapping an arm around each of his children. Their shrieks are loud when Albus pulls them down with him, into the pile of leaves. Calling out to their dad to let them go. 

Scorpius walks over and the three of them look up at him. Leaves stuck in their hair and wide smiles spread across their faces. He holds the mug up. 

‘I guess I’ll just have to drink this coffee myself, huh?’ 

Astoria gasps as she looks from Scorpius to her father next to her and Arthur jumps up, walking over to him. 

‘But dad, you don’t even like coffee! Right?’ He looks over to Astoria who is wildly nodding her head, telling her brother he is right. 

Scorpius ruffles his hair when he wraps his little arms around his leg. His eyes big and full of confusion as he looks from the coffee mug back to his father.

‘You’re right, little one. Coffee is disgusting and as much as I hope you both will be as wonderful and smart as your father. I do hope you will not share his caffeine addiction,’ Scorpius says, a grin on his face when Albus rolls his eyes fondly.

Scorpius looks from Arthur hanging from his leg to Astoria who is sitting in her father’s lap to Albus, his husband. The man he has shared a big part of his life with. The man that makes him the happiest he has been. The man he knows he will love with everything that he has for the rest of his life. The two of them smile at each other, faces full of love and admiration — knowing that this is the happiest time of their lives and they wouldn’t want to share this with anyone else but each other.

‘Though I already know that all of you have his heart of gold.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this series. I didn’t expect it to turn into a series after I had written the very first chapter — but here we are. I truly had so much fun writing these chapters and I really do hope you all loved reading it. 
> 
> If you did, I might have some good news. During the writing process of this fic series, I have gotten some more ideas for some more fics, for example about Albus and Scorpius’ wedding and the two of them visiting Charlie in Romania as mentioned in Chapter 3. I truly hope you’ll read and hopefully love them as well. 
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading this fic series! Please do let me know what you thought of it, I’m always curious to hear what people liked or maybe even didn’t like about my writing. It’s very much appreciated.


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